[Potash]

I've been reading the newly released qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

I am obviously ignoring the Speed.

They are going to hand out three spots at the 2023 World Championships, five at the continental cups (one per continent) and retain two for the host and the universality place.

This leaves 10 places for an invitational qualification series with an unknown process.

All sounds very dodgy

[SA Chris]

invitation if you have climbed 9a+ or harder in the preceding year.

[jwi]

so like one hundred invitees?

[SA Chris]

yup, fight it out gladiator style.

[Dexter]

Invitations for previous medalists? Is that a thing?

Also surely as a UK bouldering forum it should be a deathmatch of 8C boulderers not 9a+ route climbers.  Are there climbing gear based weapons involved? Boulder pads, clipsticks and ropes?

[mattbirddog]

Hiya,

Invitation for the urban series events will be based on 2023 world cup performance so almost certainly will be say...top 40 overall ranks invited or top 40 over boulder and lead.

So really, the journey to Paris starts sooner than World Champs in Bern for most athletes.

[Potash]

It really does appear that the selection method is aiming to select the best climbers from over a year prior to the Olympics.

If the 40 invites (still sounds dodgy and a weird stitch up) leading to 10 places are based on positions in the 2023 world cup series and there are 3 places from 2023 World Championships that means that 13 out of 18 competitive places will be awarded on the basis of performance over a year prior to the Olympics.

This seems harsh for any climbers who are actually good at climbing when the Olympics take place as opposed to aging has-beens who are squatting in places that they gained based on what happened 12 month previously.

Looking at Athletics it appears you can qualify up to 4 weeks prior to the Olympics which is surely much better for selecting people who are actually "currently" good at climbing.

[Moo]

It’s not like the French to do dodgy stuff in competitions 

[abarro81]

Invitation for the urban series events

Is this a typo or is Olympic climbing trying to be street?

[mattbirddog]

No, you are correct.

The IOC is putting breakdancing, skating, BMX and climbing together. I agree whilst the others make total sense, for climbing in a traditional sense feels like a bit of a stretch.

I guess most indoor walls and climbers are from urban areas so that's how you wrap your head around it? Plus all will be held in Cities.

[mattbirddog]

If the 40 invites (still sounds dodgy and a weird stitch up)

Couple of thoughts:

- this combined event, yet again, is something only a couple of Spanish climbers have actually competed in so far and is only been run a handful of times prior to the Olympics so if I was an athlete I would really want to secure qualification asap so I can prep before going on the world's biggest sporting stage.

- the Urban series runs until June, the Olympics start in July so you have time for in form athletes to qualify a month out - albeit from the 2023 pool.

- Continentals allow for a 'Colin Duffy' to come out of nowhere to win it, although I would argue that this is a lot more unlikely in the Europe or Americas blocs this time around.

- To hit the 'Olympic Spirit' mark, the Olympics qualification rules will always try and get a fair spread of athletes with the continental qualification spot, tripartite etc and limiting to two spots per country.

Whilst this creates an artificial representation of the world's best (which lets face it would be predominantly Japanese, French and US with smatterings of other nations to fill the numbers), it meets the 'Olympic Spirit' test.

We can watch the IFSC world cups to watch utter domination of power countries week in week out!

[Bradders]

Whilst this creates an artificial representation of the world's best (which lets face it would be predominantly Japanese, French and US with smatterings of other nations to fill the numbers), it meets the 'Olympic Spirit' test.

Don't forget the Slovenians!

[SA Chris]

breakdancing

Slightly OT, but WTF. Breakdancing was cool in the mid 80s, are there that many people who compete?

[abarro81]

No, you are correct.

The IOC is putting breakdancing, skating, BMX and climbing together. I agree whilst the others make total sense, for climbing in a traditional sense feels like a bit of a stretch.

I guess most indoor walls and climbers are from urban areas so that's how you wrap your head around it? Plus all will be held in Cities.

Haha, I really hope all the urban events are won by people off the back of flashing 9a in Ceuse just to show how crap that concept is  Between that branding and everything going to Discovery it seems like the IFSC is doing its best to make comp climbing irrelevant to most rock climbers

[mattbirddog]

Don't forget the Slovenians!

Agreed, but bar Janja's cameo in Meiringen they have had a pretty awful season so by their usually very high standards and they are looking light on the men's side of the drawer whereas France, Japan and USA dominate across both sides of the comp.

Expect the Slovenian women to do well in Lead season tho as usual.

[danm]

No, you are correct.

The IOC is putting breakdancing, skating, BMX and climbing together. I agree whilst the others make total sense, for climbing in a traditional sense feels like a bit of a stretch.

I guess most indoor walls and climbers are from urban areas so that's how you wrap your head around it? Plus all will be held in Cities.

Haha, I really hope all the urban events are won by people off the back of flashing 9a in Ceuse just to show how crap that concept is  Between that branding and everything going to Discovery it seems like the IFSC is doing its best to make comp climbing irrelevant to most rock climbers

It's an IOC decision not an IFSC one

[Will Hunt]

For those of us who don't follow this, can Ondra still qualify and is he still trying?

[edshakey]

In short: yes, and I think yes.

The last proper opportunity to qualify is the Olympic Qualifier Series, in Shanghai and Budapest. From these comps, the top scoring athletes (by a points system I won't bore you with) qualify for Paris.
There's some info and links on this page, including a list of qualified athletes (https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/olympics/oqs)

Mejdi SCHALCK (FRA), according to principles #1 and #3;
Dohyun LEE (KOR), according to principle #3;
Alexander MEGOS (GER);
Adam ONDRA (CZE);
Sam AVEZOU (FRA);
Yannick FLOHÉ (GER);
Sascha LEHMANN (SUI);
Paul JENFT (FRA);
Alberto GINÉS LÓPEZ (ESP);
Jongwon CHON (KOR);
Hannes VAN DUYSEN (BEL);
Yufei PAN (CHN), according to principle #2;
Mickael MAWEM (FRA);
Simon LORENZI (BEL);
Nicolas COLLIN (BEL);
Yunchan SONG (KOR);
Luka POTOCAR (SLO);
Nicolai UZNIK (AUT);
Hamish MCARTHUR (GBR);
Jan-Luca POSCH (AUT);
Stefan SCHERZ (AUT);
Nimrod MARCUS (ISR);
Maximilian MILNE (GBR);
Hannes PUMAN (SWE);
Edvards GRUZITIS (LAT);
Martin STRANIK (CZE);
Stefano GHISOLFI (ITA);
Anze PEHARC (SLO);
Martin BERGANT (SLO);
Jack MACDOUGALL (GBR);
Jonas UTELLI (SUI);
Sean MCCOLL (CAN), according to principle #3;
Filip SCHENK (ITA);
Nikolay RUSEV (BUL);
Marcello BOMBARDI (ITA);
Ravianto RAMADHAN (INA);
James POPE (GBR);
Zan LOVENJAK SUDAR (SLO);
Giorgio TOMATIS (ITA);
Alex KHAZANOV (ISR);
Oscar BAUDRAND (CAN);
Yuval SHEMLA (ISR);
Geva LEVIN (ISR);
Yannick NAGEL (GER);
Raviandi RAMADHAN (INA);
Christopher COSSER (RSA), according to principle #3;
Dylan PARKS (AUS), according to principle #3; and
Nimród Sebestyén TUSNÁDY (HUN), according to principle #2.

[lemony]

He can, he's registered for the OQS https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/olympics/oqs

If he is making it a high priority it's hard to say but he's had a pretty outdoor heavy few months compared to most of the field.

[Fultonius]

I think Ondra might be playing a blinder. Casually not bother doing any comp training, lull everyone into a false sense of security, rock up with less pressure and crush.

Or he's just not bothered 

[edshakey]

It's pretty standard stuff from him tbf. He's not competed much in recent years, he just does what he needs to qualify for stuff, or get a little practice before the big comp. I wouldn't be at all surprised if his first comp of the season is OQS Shanghai, he can spend more time on rock or training, and then leverage his vast experience of comps when the time comes. The main reason we see others compete more (even if it's not strictly necessary for qualification) is just because they love comps - Adam clearly has passion for other avenues so he might as well pursue them at any opportunity.

It's a shame he probably won't get the Olympic gold to pretty much complete climbing as a sport. If it had been in for Rio 2016, he'd probably have won it. As it is, it's come a bit too late, the style has moved probably slightly too far away from his strengths. I really struggle to see him getting past all of the current crop of all-rounders like Sorato and Toby. Even